GInny Thrasher in New York City at the 2017 AAU Sullivan Award ceremony. Thrasher was one of seven finalists for the prestigious award.

There aren’t many 20-year olds who have an Olympic gold medal. Ginny Thrasher is one of them, having won gold in the women’s 10-meter air rifle competition at the 2016 games in Rio.

Her resume also includes a plethora of NCAA and national titles. But what is perhaps most impressive about Thrasher the athlete is not the titles she has won or the accolades she has received but rather the pleasure and satisfaction she derives from her sport.

An abundance of other athletes should be as fortunate.

Thrasher grew up in Springfield, Virginia, less than 15 miles from Washington, D.C. Her first sport was figure skating but her talents did not match her desire.

“I wasn’t very good at (figure skating) but I loved it,” she recalls. “And I wanted to go to the Olympics in figure skating. And eventually, I realized that ‘Well, that’s not going to happen’.”

When she started shooting however it was a different matter.

For Thrasher, picking up a rifle for the first time was at first a means connecting to a family tradition. “It’s always been a family thing for me,” she says.

“The first time I went out hunting was with my grandfather and my father and I have two older brothers. I guess I really enjoyed the family time.”

A year later, Thrasher joined the rifle team at West Springfield High. It was a natural fit. “I feel like you really have to find a sport that matches your genetic code,” she says, “and I’m 5-foot 1. I’m never going to play basketball or volleyball or any of those and I found a sport that fit my genetic code.”

While in high school, Thrasher earned an abundance of honors in national-level competitions. When she enrolled at West Virginia University in the fall of 2015 the Olympics were less than a year away. But she was less concerned about making the Olympic team than she was about earning a place on the West Virginia rifle team; under coach Jon Hammond, the Mountaineers have one of the premier collegiate programs in the country.

“It was always just ‘I want to shoot, I want to get better, I want to enjoy it,’” Thrasher says, “and that’s what I did.“(Making the West Virginia team) was a big goal of mine and it was something I’m really proud of. I figured “I’ll shoot a few international matches, I’ll shoot the (Olympic) Trials, but it never really was 100 percent about the Olympic dream for me. It was about doing the best I could.”

Thrasher says being an elite competitive shooter requires extraordinary physical conditioning. “if you look at us, it looks like we don’t move; it looks like our sport is just standing there completely still,” she says, and that’s actually not true. What it takes is a lot of discipline. We work out a lot, we do a lot of things to strengthen our core; we do a lot of cardio to have a low-resting heart rate and I think the major thing is we practice four hours a day.

The guns we hold are about 12 pounds. It looks easy but to hold that 12-pound gun for four hours a day; it takes lots of physical conditioning and to be able to have that control of your eyes and your body.

Ginny Thrasher in action – Rio 2016 (Getty Images)

The positions are very physical and just looking at the geometry, you have to really have a good body awareness of where you are and what moving your left foot one inch is going to do to your entire position. You really have to understand the mechanics of each position that you’re in.”

Mental focus factors into the equation as well. “One of the other reasons we practice so long is when we compete it is such a high level of intensity and you have to be able to focus at that level,” Thrasher says.

“It’s a hard balance between focusing and also letting it happen naturally and not over trying but we practice being able to have the best technique when we competeand make it very natural and innate. The techniques that we use are very much like any other sport.”

“It’s like baseball. When you swing a bat you don’t stop it halfway through the swing; you complete the motion and that’s kind of what shooting is, the follow through of completing the motion and it’s very much like you’re doing the same 30-second or one-minute action over and over again. You’re trying to get consistency, robotic-like consistency when you repeat the action.”

As a freshman in 2015-16 Thrasher helped the Mountaineers win their fourth consecutive NCAA rifle championship. Shooting against opponents of both genders; collegiate rifle is a coed sport, Thrasher herself won both the NCAA individual titles (small bore and air rifle).

An engineering student with an analytical approach to her sport, Thrasher developed ‘The Process’ that she utilizes to this day. In simple terms, ‘The Process’ involves separating the goal of performing well from the actual result.“You can’t control the outcome,” Thrasher points out. “You can’t control whether that shot is a 10 or whether you get on the Olympic team.

“You can only really control your actual process and what you’re doing about that, and once you realize that you just shoot so much more freely. And, when you compete, you can really be there in the moment, competing, and not be so emotionally attached to the outcome.And I feel like so many athletes want that number, they want that scoreor the win, and they’re so emotionally attached to the outcome that they actually get in their own way mentally.”

Thrasher works with Dr. Raymond Prior, a West Virginia graduate who offers performance consulting for athletes and works regularly with his alma mater’s rifle team.“He really helped me to develop this mindset,” Thrasher says, and it hasn’t been easy. I work on my mental game almost as much as my physical game. But to me, that’s why I see a lot of results and that’s what makes me a strong competitor.”

Thrasher’s approach certainly paid off in Rio. The women’s 10-meter air rifle event was held on August 6, the morning after the opening ceremonies and other assorted pre-competition activities.“You go through team processing,” Thrasher says, “and you get all these outcome-based things. You get clothes and you get interviews and all those outcome-based things and I knew that it would be incredibly hard to be focused, but I had a game plan and I stuck to my game plan very well. It was hard but I had a plan, I stuck to the plan and I felt like I had prepared for many, many months to go and be able to do this and that preparation kind of carried me through.”

Thrasher was America’s first gold medalist at the Rio games, which brought her a significant amount of attention while she prepared for her second event, the women’s 3 positions, on August 11; she wound up placing 11th.“A lot of attention and emotions that arose,” she says, “and in my sport that publicity and attention isn’t something we’re used to. It was incredibly hard to be able to refocus after a day like that and you know your sleep schedule is screwed up and everything is screwed up. I think for me that was the hardest part of the Olympics, being able to refocus and come back five days later and still be competitive and do what I wanted to do.”

Following the Games, Thrasher returned to West Virginia for her sophomore year and helped Mountaineers win their fifth consecutive NCAA title. Individually, she placed second in the small-bore event and seventh in the air rifle.

Thrasher will be starting her junior year at West Virginia this fall.Shooting aside, Morgantown a place where she feels very much at home.

“I find being a student-athlete really, really rewarding,” she says, “because what it does is it gives me balanced in my life. “I like to be very, very busy, “it’s just my personality. I’m pretty Type A, I like to keep busy and keep doing things all the time and to be able to go to classes in the morning and then go to practice in the afternoon. Then when your head hits the pillow at night you fall asleep because you’re tired.“I wanted to come back (to college) and have a normal life.”

“I’m very much in a college town and I am famous. People recognize on the street, going to class, all the time. In some ways, it’s very, very normal and in other ways, it’s not at all. Morgantown is such a great community and coming back after the Olympics they kind of adopted me and they were really proud of me and you know that’s something you don’t get in every city you live in.”

After reaching the pinnacle of her sport by winning Olympic gold, Thrasher could be forgiven if her enthusiasm for competitive shooting diminished or disappeared altogether under the pressure of expectations, her own, or those of others. That has not happened to her is indicative of her maturity and perspective.

“I’ve seen that happen to a lot of athletes in my sport,” she says, “but for me, that’s why the enjoyment is so important and that’s why I work on the mental game so much. Because when you’re emotionally attached to the expectations that other people put on you then, of course,you’re not going to enjoy it. And if you don’t enjoy the sport, of course,you’re going to quit.”

“So my priority is really enjoying the sport and doing whatever I can to make that a reality. For me, I love shooting on my college team because it gives me a team to shoot for, even though it’s an individual sport.”

“I really like seeing that improvement and having the freshman come in and seeing them improve and being a part of that. I think it’s really really important that you enjoy the sport. and I know if there is ever a time when I enjoy it less I do whatever I can to make sure I do enjoy it.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Tori Bowie of the United States, Daryll Neita of Great Britain and Rebakka Haase of Germany cross the finishline in the Women’s 4×400 Metres Final during day nine of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 12, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for IAAF)

Tori Bowie took her second gold medal of the IAAF World Championships London 2017, anchoring the USA 4x100m team to victory in a world-leading 41.82, as they regained the crown that they last secured in Daegu six years ago.

Coming off of two consecutive Olympic gold medals, Team USATF was riding high in the Women’s 4×100 relay. Running in lane 4 Saturday night, the U.S. had the opportunity to chase its top competitors, with Great Britain in lane 5 and Jamaica in 7. Aaliyah Brown was even with Team GB on the first leg, with Jamaica seemingly in the lead. Brown had a safe handoff to Allyson Felix, who held the position with Jamaica and GB. Morolake Akinosun pulled even with the Brits and Jamaicans around the bend, but a late hand-off with 100m gold medalist Tori Bowie stalled progress for just a moment. Bowie, however, quickly turned on the afterburners and brought the U.S. gold in a world-leading 41.82. With a red flag raised by officials, Team USATF waited to celebrate until they saw the video of their handoffs on the jumbotron, after which it was smiles and flags all around. Great Britain finished second in 42.12, with Jamaica third in a season-best 42.19.

]]>http://www.wsenetwork.com/u-s-women-regain-4x100-world-championship-title/feed/0Dawn Harper-Nelson hustles to 100m Hurdle World Championship Silverhttp://www.wsenetwork.com/dawn-harper-nelson-hustles-to-100m-hurdle-world-championship-silver/
http://www.wsenetwork.com/dawn-harper-nelson-hustles-to-100m-hurdle-world-championship-silver/#respondSat, 12 Aug 2017 10:38:16 +0000http://www.wsenetwork.com/?p=26262At age 33, Dawn Harper-Nelson once again proved that few hurdlers have more mettle – or medal – in championship races. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist, 2012 Olympic silver medalist and 2011 World Outdoor bronze medalist added yet another medal to her collection with a run for silver.

At the gun, world record-holder Keni Harrison burst out of the blocks ahead of the field and cleared the first hurdle, which had plagued her in the semifinals. She knocked over the second, third and fourth hurdles as Christina Manning surged, along with 2012 gold medalist Sally Pearson of Australia. In the last half of the race, the cagey Harper-Nelson built momentum and finished a clear second in a season-best 12.63. Pearson took the gold in 12.59, with Pamela Dutkiewicz of Germany third in 12.72, ahead of Harrison in fourth in 12.74 and Manning fifth, also in 12.74. Running outside in lane 9, Nia Ali struggled to find her rhythm was eighth in 13.04.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 11: Emma Coburn of the United States celebrates as she crosses the finishline to win gold in the Women’s 3000 metres Steeplechase final during day eight of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 11, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for IAAF)

LONDON — Team USATF made a splash by having its biggest distance-running medal haul in generations at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. But nothing, it seems, prepared the track world for the stunning 1-2 finish in the women’s steeplechase by Olympic Bronze Medalist Emma Coburn and teammate Courtney Frerichs Friday night at the IAAF World Championships in London.

There were two stars and stripes flying on the lap of the hour and two US stars earning their global stripes as they took flight on the final lap of a truly stunning race.

The sound of the bell was like a clarion call to action for Emma Coburn, who took Olympic bronze in Rio last year, and her US teammate Courtney Frerichs. By that stage in proceedings, Kenya’s world leader Celliphine Chespol had been dropped and Ruth Jebet, Bahrain’s world record-holder and Olympic champion, was starting to fade.

Kenya’s defending champion Hyvin Kiyeng was still in the hunt but she too was burned off and the US duo surged off the final water jump and up the home straight.

In an event usually dominated by Kenyans, Coburn’s strong finish in a championship and American record of 9:2.58 secured the first global gold for the United States in the event since 1952. “This feels like…I’m speechless. she said. I thought on a perfect day I could sneak in for a medal. Joe (Bosshard, her fiance and coach) kept telling me anything was possible and kept reminding me of all the hard workouts I’ve done.”

Frerichs took the silver in 9:03.77, a personal best by a staggering 15.42. Hyvin Jepkemoi bagged the bronze medal in 9:04.03.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, Phyllis Francis of the United States and Allyson Felix of the United States compete in the Women’s 400 metres final during day six of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 9, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for IAAF)

8/9/2017

LONDON — Phyllis Francis was left speechless after golden run in 400m final. “It happened so fast, Francis said. I told myself, top 3. Whatever happens the last 50 meters happens. I was focusing on my form and I didn’t even know I won until one of my friends started screaming, ‘You won!’ and I was like, ‘holy smokes!’

The women’s 400 was billed as a rematch of defending world champion Felix (Los Angeles) and Olympic gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, who famously dove at the finish line in Rio to take the gold.

Until the final 100m, it looked like that rematch was on. Felix went out well in lane 5 and made up the stagger on Francis (Queens, New York) in lane 6 roughly 150m into the race. Miller-Uibo also went out fast and came into the final stretch leading Felix by two strides when Felix, Francis and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain all began closing. Miller suddenly broke stride with 20 m to go, favoring her left leg, as Francis surged to the win in a personal-best time of 49.92. Naser was second in a national record 50.06, and Felix was third in 50.08 to win her 14th medal in world championship competition. Miller-Uibo held on for fourth in 50.49.

Day 6 highlights…

A 1-3 finish by Phyllis Francis and Allyson Felix, combined with bronze medals from Rio Olympic champions Michelle Carter and Kerron Clement in cold, rainy and breezy conditions, gave Team USATF a four-medal evening and 15 medals thus far at the World Championships Wednesday night at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium.

TAMPERE, Finland – Maya Nelson became the first Junior women’s World championship for the United States since 2010, defeating Yuliana Yaneva for gold on Friday night at the Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland.

“I am elated,” the newly crowned World champ Nelson said. “I am so happy right now. First and foremost, all the glory goes to God. Without Him and without my faith, I would not be here.”

Nelson (Denver, Colo./Sunkist Kids WC) took on Bulgaria’s Yaneva in the 63 kg/139 lbs. finals, a match the American controlled from start to finish.

Early in the match, Nelson scored on a leg attack takedown and carried a 2-0 lead into the break.

With her constant pressure on the Bulgarian, Nelson was able to score on a reshot near the edge of the mat, executing a double to put Yaneva to her back for four points.

The American stayed solid in the final minute of the match to win her first World title with a decisive 6-0 win.

“Once I got my hands on her and I snapped her down the first time, I was like, ‘I got this,’” Nelson said. “I moved her around and I got my offense off so that was exciting for me. Erin (Vandiver) was just yelling, ‘Take your shot. Take your double. Blast through her.’ I just went for that double and she was right.”

The last woman to win World gold for the Red, White and Blue was Victoria Anthony at 48 kg/106 lbs. in the 2010 Junior Worlds in Budapest, Hungary. The last time the U.S. had a finalist was Erin Golston at 44 kg/96 lbs. at the 2013 Junior Worlds in Sophia, Bulgaria.

Nelson’s road to the finals was dominant as she teched 2017 Junior Asian Championships bronze medalist Ying Zhang of China, before taking out 2017 Pan American Champion Nicole Depa of Canada with a second-period pin.

In the semis, she controlled Maria Kuznetsova of Russia in a 4-0 win. It was the second time the two have met up at the Junior World Championships with Nelson taking a 9-4 win in the 2016 bronze-medal match.

McKayla Campbell, Ronna Heaton and Rachel Watters also represented the USA on Friday but were unable to qualify for the medal rounds.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 08: (L-R) Jennifer Simpson of the United States, silver, Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon of Kenya, gold, and Caster Semenya of South Africa, bronze, pose with their medals for the Women’s 1500 metres during day five of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 8, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

8/7/2017

LONDON — With another astounding stretch run, Jenny Simpson earned her fourth global medal in the women’s 1,500 meters Monday night at Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Going from fourth to second by zipping down the inside rail in the final meters, the 2011 world champion, 2013 silver medalist and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist claimed the silver medal at the IAAF World Championships, further establishing her as one of the most brilliant and consistent championship runners of her era.

Fearless stretch run gives Simpson silver

Simpson (Oviedo, Florida) closed her eyes calmly before being called to the line. When the gun went off, an action-packed race began. Home-crowd favorite Laura Muir of Great Britain went straight to the lead, with Simpson on her shoulder to bring the pack through 400m in 1:05.35. The pace then slowed by nearly seven seconds as the field bunched up. Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon moved into position off of Muir’s shoulder as Simpson ran in fourth and fifth place, going through 800m in 2:17.29.

World Indoor 3,000m champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands surged to the lead with 600m to go, and Simpson followed. At the bell it was Hassan, Kipyegon and Muir, with Simpson on the rail in fourth. Hassan and Kipyegon sprinted, shoulder to shoulder, down the backstretch and built up a lead of several meters, but Muir put in a huge surge with 200 to go, and the race was on.

Down the stretch, Hassan began to tire as the quartet sprinted, with Olympic 800m gold medalist Caster Semenya of South Africa giving chase. Running in fourth, Simpson boldly took the rail to pass Muir on the inside, then chased down Hassan and nearly caught Kipyegon, who won in 4:02.59. Simpson was second in 4:02.76, followed by Semenya in 4:02.90 and Muir fourth in 4:02.97.

As Simpson half-ran and half-danced around the curve, celebrating her finish with pumping fists and high knees, the in-stadium announcer understatedly observed, “Jenny Simpson always seems to get it right tactically.”

Rarely in life are there moments of sheer magic. Those elusive times when something extraordinary happens. Where mind, preparation, time and body all align, for extraordinary results. And where an underdog rises, triumphant, beyond their wildest dreams.

But today in Huntington Beach was that moment for Sage Erickson. The California native won the Vans US Open of Surfing – Women’s CT, after a week in which, in her own words, she knew it was time to shine. It was Erickson’s first-ever Championship Tour (CT), and a massive coup after a long, bumpy road on tour, off tour, and on yet again. For years, Erickson relied on her lower-tier rankings to stay on the elite tour, scratching her way back every time.

Sage Erickson of the USA is your 2017 US Open Champion at Huntington Beach, California, USA.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 06: Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat of Kenya poses with the silver medal, Rose Chelimo of Bahrain poses with the gold medal and Amy Cragg of the United States poses with the bronze medal for the Women’s Marathon during day three of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 6, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

LONDON — Two-time Olympian Amy Cragg made history Sunday coming across Tower Bridge, storming over the final 800m to win bronze in the women’s marathon, becoming the first American woman to capture a marathon medal at the IAAF World Championships since Marianne Dickerson in 1983.

“I still can’t believe it. Every medalist – past and present – I’ve always really looked up to and hold them above me, so it feels crazy to be in that group now, and it’s special.”

Cragg (Leavenworth, Kansas) battled with Kenya’s Flomena Cheyech Daniel for the final medal of the day, starting her pursuit of the podium with a surge just after the 35 km mark. Cragg, Daniel, eventual winner Rose Chelimo and silver medalist Edna Kiplagat broke away from the pack of nine runners in the latter stages of the race, with Chelimo and Kiplagat dropping the hammer with 5 km remaining.

Cragg and Daniel traded the third and fourth spots over the final few kilometers but the race was Cragg’s over the final 400m as her trademark kick gave her bronze and nearly silver, as she ran out of real estate as Kiplagat crossed just ahead of her.

]]>http://www.wsenetwork.com/amy-cragg-ends-34-year-medal-drought-in-world-championships-marathon-with-bronze/feed/0Sandi Morris Claims Pole Vault World Championship Silverhttp://www.wsenetwork.com/sandi-morris-claims-pole-vault-world-championship-silver/
http://www.wsenetwork.com/sandi-morris-claims-pole-vault-world-championship-silver/#respondMon, 07 Aug 2017 03:22:45 +0000http://www.wsenetwork.com/?p=26151It was a Rio rematch as Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris (Greenville, South Carolina) cleared each of the first four heights – 4.45/14-7.25, 4.55/14-11, 4.65/15-3, and 4.75/15-7 – on her first attempt, as did Olympic gold medalist Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece.

Morris was up first at 4.82m/15-9.75, missing on her first attempt. When Stefanidi cleared the height, with a heavy brush on the bar on the way down, Morris passed to 4.89m/16-0.5, hoping a clearance at that height with two attempts would give her the gold. Morris was unable to clear, giving her silver, while Stefanidi secured the gold. “I’m going to use this other silver medal to continue to motivate me to even greater heights,” Morris said.

Stefanidi then raised the bar to a national-record height of 4.91/16-1.25, which she cleared on her first attempt.